Jennifer Barrera
Jennifer Barrera oversees the development and implementation of policy and strategy as senior vice president, policy, and represents the CalChamber on legal reform issues. She led CalChamber advocacy on labor and employment and taxation from September 2010 through the end of 2017. As senior policy advocate in 2017, she worked with the executive vice president in developing policy strategy. Before joining the CalChamber, she worked at a statewide law firm that specializes in labor/employment defense. Barrera earned a B.A. in English from California State University, Bakersfield, and a J.D. with high honors from California Western School of Law. See full bio.
Job Killer Bill Establishing New Leave Advances to Assembly
A job killer bill that will overwhelmingly impact small employers and will impose higher costs and additional administrative burdens passed a key legislative hurdle...
New Job Killer Bill Would Devastate Small Employers in California
A bill requiring that all employers provide 12 weeks of protected family leave and includes a private right of action has been labeled a...
Job Killer Bill Increasing Burdens on Garment Industry to Be Considered Tuesday
A California Chamber of Commerce job killer bill that will increase costs and impose onerous burdens on garment industry employers will be considered by...
Job Killer Bill Allowing Local Government to Adopt Stricter Labor Standards to Be Heard...
A job killer bill that would result in chaotic and inconsistent enforcement of wage and hour laws by local jurisdictions by authorizing them to...
CalChamber Offers Recommendations to Fire Up California’s Economic Recovery
Setting liability limits for employers facing lawsuits over COVID-19 exposure, postponing the 2021 minimum wage hike, and expediting retraining programs for unemployed workers are...
Job Killer Bills Impose New Leave Mandates; Raise Costs, Burdens on Employers
Job killing legislation that will threaten small employers with costly litigation, increased financial burdens, and new or extended leaves of absence is advancing in...
Job Killer Update: AB 2501 Added to List, 1 Bill Stalled, 1 Bill Removed
A job killer bill that will significantly restrict Californians’ ability to access home and auto loans by placing onerous burdens on lenders, which will...
Benefits under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program Available to Employees Who Have Symptoms or...
As a part of his roadmap to reopening the economy, California Governor Newsom recently raised the issue of a wage replacement mandate on businesses...
Coronavirus Impacts State Legislature and Business
The impact of the coronavirus is being felt all throughout the state, country, and world. Just yesterday, Governor Newsom requested the home isolation of...
Private Attorneys General Act in Need of Reform
To identify flaws in the California Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), reformers need look no further than comments from the state agency assigned to...
Private Attorneys General Act in Need of Reform – Capitol Insider
Last May, the Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) highlighted “key insights” in its budget change proposal to the Legislature. The unstated, but inevitable...
U.S. District Court Ruling Invalidates AB 51
On Friday, January 31, United States District Court Judge Kimberly Mueller issued a ruling halting enforcement of and invalidating in full AB 51, a...
Success! Ruling Invalidates AB 51
On Friday, January 31st, United States District Court Judge Kimberly Mueller issued a ruling halting enforcement of and invalidating in full AB 51, a...
Temporary Restraining Order Granted Against AB 51
Today, in a lawsuit filed by CalChamber and a business coalition challenging the constitutionality of AB 51, District Court Judge Kimberly Mueller granted a...
New Privacy Initiative Aimed at November Ballot
A new consumer data privacy initiative backed by the proponent of the measure that led to adoption of the state’s broad privacy law will...
Voters May Decide Fate of “Gig” Drivers and Delivery Workers
Last week, a much-anticipated initiative was filed regarding independent contractor status for transportation network drivers and delivery network drivers/couriers in the gig economy.
The initiative...
Voters May Decide Fate of “gig” Drivers and Delivery Workers – Capitol Insider
Last week, a much-anticipated initiative was filed regarding independent contractor status for transportation network drivers and delivery network drivers/couriers in the gig economy. The...
Mixed Bag
The Governor finished signing/vetoing all bills yesterday. CalChamber was tracking 62 bills on his desk, 32 support and 30 opposed. So how...
The Grand Finale: Legislative Session
The legislative session ended at approximately 3:00 a.m. Saturday morning – the early hour was largely due to a significant delay in proceedings on...
More Exemptions Needed on Bill Codifying Independent Contractor Test
There are three weeks left in the legislative session and one of the most common questions I get multiple times on a daily basis...